Author Topic: Long Beard Behind the Mess Hall  (Read 1070 times)

Jake St. John

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Long Beard Behind the Mess Hall
« on: August 14, 2010, 09:07:26 PM »
                                                   Long Beard Behind the Mess Hall


      This past turkey season I talked to a fellow that was hearing a turkey sounding off 150 yards behind his house.  It reminded me of a turkey killed at least 30 years ago on Ashbrook Island.  Jake Ellis, that taught me how to turkey hunt, was telling me the story on one of my first turkey hunts there in the early 70's.   Here’s how the story went. 

     You know old Mr. Ashbrook, ( a name made up to protect the guilty), well ...he was at the camp about a week ago, and about middle ways of the season.  Turkeys were getting hard to fool with and the gobblers had been henned up most of the first half of the season.   The die hards like myself (Mr. Jack) have been getting up 45 minutes before light, every day and hunting them hard every day of the season.  Lately, the turkeys have won the upper ground with little progress on our end.

     Well ole Mr. Ashbrook, he likes to get into the bottle every night.  It used to be that he would make it up and hunt a while and come on in to a late breakfast and start to drinking.   But lately he doesn’t even go out.   

      The other morning I came in about 11:00 A.M. and there was the biggest, longest bearded turkey you ever saw hanging from the skinning rack.  I came into the mess hall and there was ole Mr. Ashbrook with a big ole tumbler of whiskey and sitting there with the biggest grim you ever saw.   So I asked him “Did you kill that monster hanging from the skinnin rack.”  “W......e.....l.....l......” he said.  Let me tell ya what happened.
 
     “ I didn’t make it up too early as usual and had just made a fresh pot of coffee about 8:30.   The back mess hall door was open, I poured a cup of coffee and pulled my chair just outside of the door to listen to the woods waken up and all that stuff like I usually do.   I was sitting thar and a thundering gobble just about knocked me out of my chair.  I was thinking that had to be one of those turkey’s all sexed up and waited..... and then about a half minute later he blew my hat off with another gobble!!!!

     At this point I had determined that  this ole boy meant business, so I put my coffee cup down and went out the north door to the mess hall ,and went to bunk house for reinforcements.   I arrived back in the next 15 minutes and proceeded to stumble over the fish fry pot someone had put there last night.  I went sailing into the nearest tree and woke up 5 minutes later with the biggest goose egg on my head you ever saw.  Well all I could hear when I woke up was that 10 out of 10 on the gobble scale turkey saying “Here I am.”   Well I walked 40 yards out the mess hall door and to the nearest tree.  I sat down, composed myself and let out 3 yelps as you are suppose to on my ole fool proof Lynch.   ......   Just when I started to wonder.... the biggest,... longest bearded turkey comes running towards me.  I had to shoot it to protect myself and ....there he hangs from the skinning rack.   

A True story from Mr. Jack Ellis — Ashbrook Hunting Club early 70's
 
 
     
 

Offline augiedog55

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Re: Long Beard Behind the Mess Hall
« Reply #1 on: August 14, 2010, 09:14:39 PM »
Great hunting story.. *bannana*Keep them coming John

Offline Bulldogmikey

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Re: Long Beard Behind the Mess Hall
« Reply #2 on: August 14, 2010, 09:16:37 PM »
Cool Story! Love old stories like that!! Please keep um coming!

Mike
« Last Edit: August 17, 2010, 07:48:29 AM by Bulldogmikey »
Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Offline charlieparrish

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Re: Long Beard Behind the Mess Hall
« Reply #3 on: August 15, 2010, 07:48:58 AM »
Another good one to go with the Sunday morning coffee...I like your style.

Charlie
Charlie

M Sharpe

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Re: Long Beard Behind the Mess Hall
« Reply #4 on: August 15, 2010, 03:55:27 PM »
Love to read old hunting stories!
Keep 'em coming.